When it comes to opening and closing your garage door, the bright and shiny garage door opener might think that it’s the star of the show. That’s not the case, though; the springs are the real stars of the show and it’s important to know how to take care of them so that they’ll last a long time.
Depending on the type of torsion springs, they can last between 10,000 cycles and 30-40,000 cycles. Also, notice the amount of traffic going in and out of your garage. If you have a very active family requiring multiple trips, the springs will wear out much faster.
It’s best to use two garage door springs instead of one long spring. It’s also cheaper to buy two shorter springs than one long spring with a higher life cycle.
It’s also important to remember that the springs are made of steel and will corrode faster when you’re in a humid area, therefore it’s time to lubricate the springs. You don’t want the springs to have an excessive amount of lubricant dripping off the springs, so don’t overdo it.
The garage door springs don’t act by themselves. Remember that they’re part of an interconnected system, so you’ll want to make sure that the cables, rollers, and pulleys are in good working order, because they may be putting excess strain, wear and tear on the springs.
Also, check to make sure that the garage door is raising and lowering equally on both sides. If they don’t, then it’s a sure sign that something’s up and the springs might be saying that they need some TLC and to get a technician out there for a visit ASAP.
Your springs might be affected by someone running into the door itself; if the door is bent or broken, then that might cause a direct effect on it, too. Additionally, if the track was bent in the process, that could present its own set of issues for the springs as well.
If you keep things in mind, chances are you’ll avoid any unpleasant situations in the future.